Golf putting practice system

ABSTRACT

The present application includes a system and method of improving a player&#39;s putting game. The system includes a target having a plurality of different sized holes adjacent its lower surface and configured to permit the passage of a rolling golf ball through the target. The target is secured in a particular orientation by one or more legs coupled to the target. The method includes a player selecting a particular hole to practice putts in one of three different distance ranges. Speed control is practiced by comparing the distance the golf ball traveled past the target to that of the length of the leg.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present application relates generally to golf equipment and, more particularly, to a system for improving the putting of a player.

2. Description of Related Art

Golf is a game that has been around since its inception in Scotland during the Middle Ages. The game involves striking a golf ball with various clubs to move the ball from the “tee box” to the “green” with the fewest possible strokes. Once on the green, the object is to putt the ball into the hole, also located on the green. In order to putt well, the player must be able to accurately place the ball near the hole/cup or within the hole. Accuracy usually involves the direction and distance of travel of the ball. It is the object of the player to place the ball close to the hole when putting from a far distance without overshooting the hole. At a close distance, it is the object of the player to putt the golf ball into the hole. Ideally a player will place the golf ball within the hole within two putts.

Some disadvantages of golf is that putting is most often practiced outside at a golf course. Useful and purposeful practice is limited while in doors. Additionally, the weather typically affects one's ability to gain much needed practice time. For the few systems that have been developed for putting inside, none appear to permit for the practice of putting from various distances within a confined space.

It is desirable to provide a target or golf putting practice system that allows for the practice of putting at all distances irrespective of location and weather and while indoors. Although great strides have been made, considerable shortcomings remain.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the application itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a golf putting practice system according to the preferred embodiment of the present application; and

FIG. 2 is a top view of the golf putting practice system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a leg used in the golf putting practice system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a chart of the steps of practicing with the golf putting practice system of FIG. 1.

While the system and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the application to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the process of the present application as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Illustrative embodiments of the preferred embodiment are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the devices, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the device described herein may be oriented in any desired direction.

The system in accordance with the present application overcomes one or more of the above-discussed problems commonly associated with conventional golf putting practices. Specifically, the system of the present application is configured to provide a single interior based assembly/system to allow a player to practice putting from one or more ranges of playing distances. The playing distances represent a distance a player would be from the cup on the green. A player selects a practice distance in front of a target of the system and putts toward one of the plurality of holes that corresponds to the practice distance. The system is configured to provide holes having different widths corresponding to the size of the cup. Use of the different widths in relation to the practice distance allows a player to practice acceptable putting techniques for different distances. These and other unique features of the system are discussed below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The system will be understood, both as to its structure and operation, from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description. Several embodiments of the system are presented herein. It should be understood that various components, parts, and features of the different embodiments may be combined together and/or interchanged with one another, all of which are within the scope of the present application, even though not all variations and particular embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the mixing and matching of features, elements, and/or functions between various embodiments is expressly contemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from this disclosure that the features, elements, and/or functions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment as appropriate, unless otherwise described.

The golf putting practice system of the present application is illustrated in the associated drawings. Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters identify corresponding or similar elements in form and function throughout the several views. FIGS. 1-3 in the drawings illustrate a golf putting practice system 101. System 101 includes an assembly having a target 103 coupled to one or more legs 105. The target includes a plurality of holes 107 a-c of varied width. System 101 is configured to adjust the required accuracy for a player to pass beyond target 103 depending on the distance from target 103. By selecting a particular hole 107 a-c, a player is able to practice putting techniques for different distance ranges.

System 101 is configured to be adapted for indoor use. As such, system 101 is tailored to be collapsible for easy and tight storage. Legs 105 and target 103 are configured to collapse in a parallel configuration for storage in thin elongated spaces. An advantage to using system 101 is the ability to practice putting from varied distances year-round irrespective of the weather or green fees. System 101 is also designed to set up and take down quickly. System 101 may be used during short breaks at the office or in the home on a variety of surfaces.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, leg 105 is coupled to target 103 and configured to orient target 103 in an upright position. Leg 105 is includes a plurality of pegs 109 extending from a front surface 111. Pegs 109 are configured to pass through slots 113 in target 103 and interlock with target 103. Legs 105 may be detached from target 103 at any time and stored away for use at a later time or transported to another location. Although the use of an interlocking arrangement has been described, it is understood that the method of coupling leg 105 to target 103 is not so limited. Other methods of coupling may be used and are considered part of the scope of the present application. It is understood that some embodiments may couple leg 105 to target 103, such that leg 105 is hinged to target 103 to prevent separation.

Target 103 is configured to be oriented such that the player practicing with system 101 is directly in front of a portion of target 103. Holes 107 a-c are formed in target 103 along a lower surface 115. Holes 107 a-c are configured to permit the passage of a golf ball 117 rolling through target 105. System 101 is designed to assist players of golf to develop a good putting technique to lower the number of strokes necessary to get the ball 117 in the cup. Techniques and strategies for putting can vary depending on the distance a player is to the cup. System 101 is designed to provide holes 107 a-c that assist players in practicing techniques for putting at different distances. Holes 107 a-c each have different widths necessary to hone the accuracy of a player's putting.

Hole 107 a is termed a precision hole. Hole 107 a has a width smaller than the diameter of a standard regulation cup. For example, the width of hole 107 a may be approximately one half that of a standard regulation cup. Hole 107 a is used to practice putting from playing distances within three feet of the target. The purpose of hole 107 a is to hone the player's technique and accuracy for hitting the center of the cup. The player is forced to hit an accurate putt to pass through hole 107 a. During an actual game of golf, the cup is larger and therefore becomes easier to make an accurate putt.

Hole 107 b is termed a standard hole. The width of hole 107 b is that of the diameter of a standard regulation cup. Hole 107 b is used to practice putting from playing distances within three to ten feet of the cup. At such distances, the player is focusing on their stroke and sight alignment.

Hole 107 c is termed a lag hole. The width of hole 107 c is greater than the diameter of a standard regulation cup. For example, the width of hole 107 c may be approximately 50% larger than the diameter of the regulation cup. Hole 107 c is used to practice lagging skills from extreme distances. The focus of practicing lag putts is to put the ball 117 six to eighteen inches past the target hole. By placing the ball 117 this close, the next putt is a very close and should almost be automatic. The practice of lag putting helps a golfer/player to get off the green in two putts.

System 101 is also configured to help a player practice the speed of putts. The general consensus of golf teaching professionals recommend putting the ball 117 with enough speed that, if the ball 117 misses the cup, the ball 117 will only travel six to eighteen inches passed the cup. This is to allow the next shot to remain in close enough proximity to the cup to allow the player to tap in for an easy stroke. By better controlling speed during putts, a player is able to avoid overshooting the cup. As seen in FIG. 3, leg 105 has a particular length. The length of leg 105 may be set to any length between 6 and 18 inches. The length of leg 105 is significant because the speed of ball 117 passing through any of holes 107 a-c should be slow enough to come to rest at some point within the length of leg 105. By setting legs 105 to eighteen inches, legs 105 act as a measurement or guide to allow the player to adjust the speed of the puts. In some embodiments, the length of leg 105 may be adjustable to allow a player to practice with different lengths. As the player develops a greater feel for speed control of ball 117, the length of legs 105 may be decreased. The precise shape and contour of leg 105 is not limited to that as seen in the figures. Leg 105 may include one or more folds or creases to permit adjustment of the length of legs 105.

Referring now also to FIG. 4 in the drawings, a chart illustrated the steps of practicing with system 101 is shown. In practice a player erects the target 201. The target has the plurality of holes of varied widths. Each having a different width in proportion to the size of the cup on a green. The target is supported 203 in an upright orientation by positioning a leg in communication with the target, so as to orient the target at an acceptable position. The player selects a practice putting distance 205. The distance is measured from the target and represents a playing distance from a cup during a round of golf. The player selects a particular hole 207 on the target to use and putts 209 the golf ball toward the respective hole. As a player develops their technique and speed control, system 101 is configured to permit the player to alter the hole selection from that of the prescribed ranges. For example, a player putting a distance of twelve feet from the target may select hole 107 b to practice lag putts in order to further tune and hone his/her skills. Likewise a smaller hole may always be selected than the one in the distance range the player is putting in to increase the difficulty. In this way, system 101 permits varied levels of difficulty and practice for a player.

The current application has many advantages over the prior art including at least the following: (1) multiple holes of varied width; (2) ability to practice speed control and accuracy at different distances; and (3) ability to interchange the holes with distance ranges to increase difficulty.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the application may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description. It is apparent that an application with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the present application is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. 

1. A golf putting practice system for improving a player's putting game on a green, comprising: a target having a lower surface; and a foldable leg coupled to the target and configured to orient the target in an upright position, the leg configured to permit the run-through of a rolling golf ball beyond the target without obstruction; wherein the target includes a plurality of holes extending from the lower surface and configured to permit the passage of the rolling golf ball, the plurality of holes are sized to have different widths, a precision hole is selectively sized to be smaller than that of a regulation CUP diameter, a standard hole is selectively sized to be equal to that of a regulation CUP diameter, and a lag hole is selectively sized to be larger than a regulation CUP diameter; wherein each width represents the necessary accuracy of a putt from a particular playing distance to reach a cup located on the green; and wherein the target is configured to permit a player to practice the putts of varied playing distances while practicing putting the golf ball at the target from a selected practice distance.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the leg is interlocked with the target.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the leg is detachable from the target.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the target and the leg are tailored to be collapsible for storage.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the leg is a guide to measure the travel of the ball past the hole to practice avoiding overshooting of the hole.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the leg has a length of 6 inches.
 7. (canceled)
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the precision hole is used to practice putting from playing distances within 3 feet from the cup
 9. (canceled)
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the standard hole is used to practice putting from playing distances within 3 to 10 feet from the cup.
 11. (canceled)
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the lag hole is used to practice putting from playing distances greater than 10 feet from the cup.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the leg is configured to serve as a guide to the proper speed of putting, the length of the leg being less than 18 inches. 14-20. (canceled) 